Former Casino Dealers Swept Up in Illegal Gambling Bust

CBC News has reported that two former dealers at River Rock Casino in Richmond, British Columbia were involved in an illegal gambling bust back in March. The raid was conducted by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and Richmond RCMP, who in turn told the Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch of the B.C. government.

Honestly, this is a bit of a non-story, especially since no criminal charges were recommended, but it is interesting how the two dealers became the highlight of the bust. Plus, the women weren’t even casino employees at the time the illegal “gaming den” was raided.

Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, the owner of River Rock, said that if the dealers were still employees, they could have been fired.

“Great Canadian has zero tolerance for any of our staff having any relationship with an illegal facility, as do our regulators, and (we would) take immediate action against anyone found to be engaged in that type of activity, including termination,” said Chief Operating Officer Terrance Doyle in a statement to CBC News.

Yup, Sounds Like Gambling Was Taking Place

The gambling took place in a storage space above a car repair shop and drew the attention of neighbors who reported “fancy cars” and “dressed up women” arriving at the location. Authorities kept tabs on it for months before the March 14th raid.

What they found was what one would expect: people gambling. There were poker tables and a mahjong table. Chips, cash, cell phones (I find it funny that iPhones were something that was reported), security cameras. A notebook listing “wagers and payouts.” About $50,000 in cash and checks were found and seven men and four women were arrested.

Among the people arrested (again, I find it amusing that this stuff was deemed important enough to report, which is why I’m reporting it):

• A “real estate property owner”
• A woman trying to win enough money to buy a dog
• An IT consultant who said he was invited by one of the former casino dealers, who he said he met on an “online poker strategies club.”
• A professional poker player who had almost $12,000 in cash and *gasp* “memberships” for Las Vegas casinos

Perhaps oddly, after a months long investigation and subsequent raid, a Richmond RCMP spokesperson told CBC News that “insufficient evidence was obtained” to bring charges. Perhaps there was no evidence of rake being taken? I don’t know.

Back to the former casino dealers, what happened obviously is not a concern for them when it comes to their current employment situation, as they are not employed by a casino, but it could haunt them down the road. If the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch determines them to be “a detriment to the integrity or lawful conduct or management of gaming,” they could lose their gaming licenses.